Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32)/ Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Distance
Distance might refer to physical space, and it might refer to emotional separation, and this week’s Torah portion and Star Wars film are full of each. Imagine a room with a wall splitting it down the middle. Two people enter the room, one on each side, and speak to each other on the phone. With no way of knowing the person on the other end of the phone from them is right beyond the wall, the mere fact they are speaking via telephone makes the two feel like there must be a distance between them. If suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, the wall was removed, the feeling of distance would instantly dissipate.
God destroyed the wicked creatures of the earth with a massive flood, and upon the drying of the earth, God promises that never again will a flood devastate the earth. The covenant made that day signified a distance being established between God and the earth. No longer would God interfere in the ongoings of the earth in such a direct way. But, to assure the creatures of the earth that the distance created was not too great such that God would no longer care for the earth’s ongoings, God would set a rainbow in the sky as a symbol. Far away, but still close enough to know God is there somewhere, even if we do not know exactly where.
Jedi are taught not to become emotionally attached to others so that emotions cannot control their actions. Of course, Anakin Skywalker believes that he is above dogma and that he will be able to control his emotions and not have them control him. Anakin of course, has no understanding of what it means to be in control of one’s own emotions. His romantic pursuit of now Senator Padmé Amidala is one of just many examples of this inability, and it is this inability to maintain the proper balance of physical and emotional distance. As I have written before, the Jedi order ultimately crumbled because of its lack of empathy with the galactic citizens it was sworn to protect. Their lack of empathy as an order does not excuse Anakin’s insubordination and his secret affair with the Senator. Jedi are forbidden to have intimate relationships because love distracts, love blinds, and love compromises. For ordinary beings, these are all par for the course of life. For a powerful, Force wielding protector of the galaxy, these are enormous hazards for job performance. This is by no means to say that no Jedi might have the emotional fortitude and ideological rigor to maintain a romantic relationship, but this film is surely proof that Anakin is not one of those Jedi. A certain level of personal affection towards Padmé may have been one, and should be expected given their history, but Anakin’s lack of discipline in establishing a distance with the former queen was an instrumental part of his eventual corruption downfall.
Some people in the land of Shinar too had two challenging run ins with distance in Parashat Noach. The first run in was in a physical way. In the first verse of chapter nine of the Genesis, God instructs humanity to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Instead of being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth, some people decided to “build a city… and not be scattered over all the earth,” (Gen. 11:4) These people directly defied God’s instructions by settling in one place and building a city. This was distance strike one. In this city the people began the construction of a great tower designed to reach up to God in the heavens, with which this tower came the second and final strike, one more a result of a lack of a much less physical kind of distance. The stated reason for building this tower was to “make a name for ourselves,” (Gen. 11:4). God did not like this arrogance and did not like this selfish act. By not distancing their personal desires from the explicit instructions of God, not only the constructors of this tower, but all of humanity forever were punished by having their languages separated to disallow easy communication and humble their arrogance, and they were physically scattered. These two transgressions, challenges against God’s desired great physical and emotional distance from one another.
It is interesting how each of these literatures not only call for a massive distancing, but show horrible consequences as a failure to do so. Should we take this to mean we should all strive towards distancing ourselves from one another, physically and emotionally? Well, in next week’s Torah portion and in virtually every other portion in the Torah, we observe God making an exception to this apparent rule of distancing. God begins to choose specific individuals, beginning with Abraham and carrying on for generations through the profits, to have significantly less distance with. In these relationships, God communicates with and sometimes even goes as far as to interact with these specifically chosen individuals. And the question then becomes why did God choose to reduce the distance with certain individuals? I think the answer may lie in understanding the Jedi’s distance issue.
The Jedi on a personal level need to keep a certain distance in order not to have their judgements clouded, but on a larger level, they cannot distance themselves too greatly or else they will have no understanding of how to best serve the people they are sworn to. God engages in the opposite practice, keeping a fair distance on that larger level in order to keep humanity humble. We are encouraged to strive towards an emotional closeness with God because it is the best way to understand God’s will, but we are to keep a physical distance and not attempt to place ourselves on an even level with God. God builds closer relationships with a select few so that many can at least be aware of God’s distanced presence in the world. A rainbow is a seemingly passive means of expressing presence in the world. A direct and human connection allows us to relate to God’s existence even when it seems so far away.
Should we strive as individuals to act more or less distanced from other individuals or from society as a whole? I think it depends on what our purpose is. We should absolutely strive towards having a small enough distance that we can empathize with others and act with the human relation necessary to foster a high quality relationship no matter the distance created. It is also important to recognize that sometimes the strongest way to act in the best interest of others is by severing one's own emotion from the actions they need to take. Emotion can absolutely cloud judgement and cause damage when not adequately controlled. As such, the best thing we each can do is take a step back and evaluate all of our relationships. We should determine which ones are worth the risk of physical and emotional closeness, and which ones would be made stronger by establishing a fair distance in both.
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